Alina’s oldest son and his wife serve in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which made Alina fearful of leaving the Russian-occupied area. She worried she was on a Russian watchlist because of her son’s military ties. She even destroyed all photos and items linked to his service after learning about the Russians’ mistreatment of someone in a nearby village for possessing military insignia.

Life under occupation was incredibly tough. Russian forces frequently searched their home, encircling it with military vehicles. Once, a sniper targeted their house. During these invasions, they interrogated Alina’s husband about any family ties to the Ukrainian military and why their son wasn’t attending school. They inspected his tattoos and forced him to vow not to oppose them. They also tried to coerce him into fixing their vehicle because of his mechanic skills, but he refused.

Alina found herself caught in a sweep at a market where Russians were forcibly checking IDs to push locals into accepting Russian citizenship. Her husband Anatoliy, who worked there, resigned after being pressured to adopt Russian nationality.

They managed to scrape by, selling meat, milk, and cheese from their own farm while keeping their younger son, Tymur, hidden. The boy had been attending a sports club, but stopped when Russian-sponsored activities began. He kept up with his education remotely through a Ukrainian school, connecting via VPN.

Alina twice prepared to escape to protect her child but was terrified of the FSB and the possibility of polygraph tests. She feared they would take Tymur if they fled. However, she reached out to us after seeing a television segment about child repatriation conducted by Save Ukraine. Our team responded promptly, offering a way out within three days.

Remaining at home became increasingly untenable as Russia started blocking access to foreign websites and VPN services. Alina was determined to avoid interrupting Tymur’s education or sending him to a Russian school, especially after reading about the heavy propaganda in these schools on a local collaborator’s Telegram channel.

Their successful departure brought immense relief, as they endured numerous checkpoints and rigorous inspections. Crossing the border and seeing the Ukrainian flag was a moment of profound emotion. Now safe, Alina and Timur face a new beginning, while Anatoliy had to remain behind. Their first steps involve obtaining necessary documents and resting before Tymur resumes his education in a Ukrainian school.

P.S. Names in this story have been changed for security reasons.